Why College Students Need to Care About Google+

As I write this to you I am tired from waking up before noon, caffeine is coursing through my veins to keep me awake and I am wholeheartedly jealous of everyone celebrating Syllabus Week. See, I’m a Penn State grad from May 2012 (aka the wound is still fresh) and want to stay connected to Penn State is any way possible. I have learned some really great things from working at my job at a content marketing agency, ion Leap. Really useful stuff, not just for advertising majors or for people that are graduating soon, but for everyone.

The most important thing you can do as a college student with a voice is to brand yourself. I know you’ve heard this a million times before from professors and you blow it off but a new change in writing and voice is coming.

Google Authorship is a change being made this year in which writers of blogs, articles, or really anything, must build up their “Author Rank” or credibility, as an individual. How do you build up Author Rank? You’re not going to like this, but you join Google+.

I know, I know, Google+ sucks. And right now, it kind of does. However, with this Google change coming in 2013, everyone will be on it. All your favorite brands, the writers of the blogs you follow, and eventually your friends and family to (follow these people) will be active on Google+. Google is basically forcing all writers to join and be because +1’s on Google+ (similar to likes on Facebook) are what make you credible in Google’s eyes.

So why does this matter to you? If you write anything (or want to be in a profession where you might publish content), Google Author rank is a great way to get started now. Going into a job interview with a Google+ account that you maintain and attribute your writing to is a huge plus (no pun intended).